…Trophimus I left ill at Miletus. 2 Timothy 4:20
Perhaps today’s Paul and Trophimus need to reclaim this secret of confident quitting. Never waste emotional and spiritual energy on the petulant question: Why is God not healing me when He has healed others? Why did I have the gift of healing then, but not now? Only one pointed question needs to be answered with a clear yes or no: Am I in right relationship with God through Jesus Christ? If by His grace we can answer yes on the spot, we can walk away from any unresolved situation with these words in mind, “And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14)
“His will” is first and foremost a matter of absolute trust in His sovereign wisdom and inherent goodness. If we insist that anything less than a glowingly healthy Christian is an insult to God, we deny the reality of redemptive suffering. Paul was stuck with his thorn in the flesh, but found himself amply rewarded with the sweeping promise of Christ’s all-sufficient grace and His power made perfect in weakness. (Part 2 of 2)
Comment: Prior to spending five wonderful weeks with my brother who was painfully bedridden with terminal cancer in 1985, I was privileged to lead him to Christ via airmail. In my letter I explained the rich meaning of biblical salvation and its healing power. Just then, for the first and only time ever, the village pastor came to see him and read it. He probably smirked when he said, “Your sister’s idealized Christianity is typically American and isn’t for us folks here.” The card he left with Peter read, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil: 1:21). Back home with my family, I wrote to my brother daily, until a few weeks later he lifted up his arms and was received into his heavenly home. The only hot tears I shed were not of sorrow, but anger that the memorial service would be held by that poor excuse for a shepherd
As God is my witness, when I was the “Trophimus” stuck with breast cancer twice and a variety of other surgery within the span of a few years, my resolve to trust and leave the outcome with Him never wavered. Thanks to my close involvement with Covenant Players, an international Christian drama ministry, my fun and joyful emails went around the world. As always, the bragging rights belong to our triune God alone. His living Word creates the kind of faith that is a keeper and conqueror of fear and doubt. If this were my “swan song,” the conclusive tribute to God’s faithfulness, my inner Trophimus would signal YES enthusiastically. 2 Timothy 4:1-22